Triangle
by Arianna Harris
Summary: After the destruction of Sunnydale and the defeat of The First Evil, Buffy and her friends go to LA to begin their new lives. Rating will change in future chapters
1. The City of Angels

Night fell upon Los Angeles, and Buffy Summers emerged from the shadows. For seven long years she saved the world from unspeakable evil, and now that the town she protected for so long was gone she didn't know what to do with her life. No longer was she the only slayer. Willow had seen to that by transferring the mystical power from a scythe to all the potential slayers in the world making them full fledged slayers. Buffy could live a normal life, like she had always wanted to, and she didn't know what to do. There was only one thing she knew for certain, and that was her undying love for the vampire with a soul. So, she made her journey to L.A. with her friends. Once they had settled into a decent place Buffy made the decision to go to Angel. Just as she was about to knock on the door her slayer senses kicked in and she turned around. He was standing behind her. He had been her friend, confidant, and her forbidden lover. Now where could she fit into his life, she thought as she approached him.

"Buffy…what are you doing here?" He asked her quietly.

"Big fight, I won, Hellmouth went poof." She replied with one of her many witty remarks.

"You mean…"

"Yep…Sunnydale is gone forever. Someone could very well mistake it for the Grand Canyon now." She hesitated a moment then spoke again. "Spike saved us all."

"Spike?"

"Yeah," it still stung Buffy's heart when she thought about Spike. She would never know if the love she had possessed for him would have flourished into something more.

Angel immediately felt the unwanted sting of jealousy creep through him when he saw Buffy's expression after mentioning Spike. For her sake he pushed it aside and looked on with concern.

"I take it he didn't make it through the fight."

Buffy shook her head solemnly, "No...he didn't….the amulet was meant for a champion….that's what he was….too bad he had to give up his life for anyone to believe it…I always believed it….I believed in him."

"Why don't we go inside?"

Buffy nodded and followed him through the door. She looked around at the empty building.

"Where is everyone?"

Buffy followed Angel into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Angel looked around then grabbed the tea pot.

"They all went out I guess….tea?"

"What?" Buffy had let her thoughts wonder. "Oh yes…I would like some please."

"So did anyone else…I mean did you lose anyone else in the fight?"

Buffy nodded. 

"We lost several potentials…and Anya."

He sat in front of her and took her hands in his.

"How did you manage Buffy…with only a group of potentials?"

Buffy then proceeded to tell him about the spell Willow had done with the scythe. When she was done she looked up at angels dumbfounded face.

"So now I get what I always wanted. I'm free. I'm no longer the only one Angel. I get to be normal."

"But?"

"But…now I don't know what I want to do with my life."

"I know how that is." He knew all too well how it was. He thought back to when he had become human for a day, and could experience the pleasures of being alive, including being able to engage in intimacy with Buffy, he gave all that up though to save her life. He had the clock turned back twenty-four hours and only he carried the memory of that stolen day. 

"How could you possibly know Angel? You have a purpose…what's mine now?"

"I can't answer that Buffy. I do know this though…for seven years you've risked your life for the world…don't you think it's time for the world to give you something back?"

Buffy bowed her head and whispered, "What I want is right in front of me….but I can't have it."

Angel placed a hand under her chin and lifted her head up. 

"You know this is not easy on me either Buffy. When we kissed the other day, it was so hard for me to just walk away from you. It kills me being this close to you and not being able to touch you."

Buffy looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "It kills me too Angel…so much that I can't stand it." Then she quickly got up and ran towards the door. 

Angel stopped her before she could turn the knob, by grabbing her arms and whirling her around into his arms. He pressed his lips to hers softly at first, but when her arms tightened around him his kiss deepened. Angel realized the second he initiated the kiss that it was wrong, and he knew he had to stop before it was to late and before desire got the best of them both. So, he slowly pulled away and looked down at Buffy.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have…"

Buffy simply nodded choking back her tears, then walked out the door. As soon as she was gone Angel through his fist into the wall.

"Whoa….think you could lay off the wall a bit? What did it ever do to you?" 

"Hello Cordelia….."

"Let me guess…..they were all out of blood at the butcher shop?"

"Heh….not quite."

Angel walked over to the couch and sat down. 

"So I'm guessing by your usual brooding silence that you don't want to talk about it."

Angel looked at her and raised his eyebrow.

"And of course…I guessed right. Score another point for Cordelia Chase."

Angel realized that he wasn't going to get the quiet alone time he wanted so he cleared his throat and asked her where everyone was.

Meanwhile, Buffy was in her new room laying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. That kiss had been just like their first, intense and breathtaking, but it had also been wrong. How could something so good be so bad she thought right before there was a knock on her door. She quickly dried her eyes and got up to turn on the light. 

"Come in!"

Willow came through the door with that goofy grin on her face she had possessed since high school. 

"Hey Will."

Willow sat down on Buffy's bed and as soon as she looked at Buffy the grin washed away from her face leaving the look of concern.

"Buffy…what happened with Angel?"

"Nothing….really."

Willow tilted her head an raised her eyebrows.

"C'mon Buffy…you really expect me to believe that…I've known you for seven years don't you think I can tell when you've been crying?"

Buffy looked down for a moment. Good old Willow, she thought, she had always been there for her…but Buffy sometimes wondered if she had been there enough in return. So often since she had been brought back into the world had she shut herself off from her friends, but not anymore things were going to change.


	2. The Mirror of Zyagahn

Buffy awoke the next morning with a smile on her face. Talking to Willow the night before had helped her a lot. She walked down the stairs and heard Xander and Dawn in the kitchen.

"Xander, let me define grocery shopping."

"What? I got the basic things we need."

"Yeah but there's no junk food….I'm a teenager...I need these sort of things"

"Well that's because…well I kind of got hungry last night and thought…"

"You ate all of it? Gyah Xander…I hope you blow up like a cow."

Buffy laughed to herself and walked in.

"Morning guys."

"Morning Buff…how was dead boy doing?"

"I see you haven't lost your since of…. oh I don't know… hating him have you Xander?"

"No you see…I don't hate him…how could I…I just don't like the guy?" Xander said sarcastically and Buffy smiled.

"He was fine…how did you sleep Dawn?"

"I slept ok…so you really saw Angel…I want to see him again…or umm for the first time.."

Buffy smiled at her sister. Dawn had all the memories of Angel and everything else, but in reality she had only been with them for three years. 

"Hey…where's all the junk food," Buffy asked.

"Ok…ok haven't you Summers women ever heard of a nutritional breakfast? Cocoa Pebbles anyone?"

"Xander ate all the good stuff last night."

"Then I guess Xander will be going to the store this morning." Buffy said while looking at Xander. Xander mumbled something then sat down with a huge bowl of cocoa pebbles.

"All of that food is going to go straight to your thighs." Dawn said as she prepared to make herself some pancakes.

"Now I won't be able to wear my pretty little dress…damnit." Xander said jokingly.

Buffy rolled her eyes then looked around.

"Hey you guys where's Willow?"

"Oh…her and Kennedy wanted some alone time…you know."

"Oh…so um Xander how about some of those cocoa pebbles."

Across town, in an abandoned warehouse, X'anika laughed to herself.

"Yes…everything is going so well," She said as she watched Buffy and her friends in her new Mirror of Zyagahn, "I can see what her heart wants…to be normal...and to be reunited with her old vampire lover. I just need to watch the slayer a little longer…and then I can move in on the vampire with a soul."

Gunn strolled into Angel Investigations with the morning paper in one hand and several cups of coffee in the other.

"Ok…next time Wesley's on coffee duty…or hey I've got a better idea…how about you buy some instant coffee that way nobody gets hurt." Gunn said acknowledging the coffee stain on his new shirt as he joined the others at the table. 

"Oh Gunn…were you burned?" Fred asked in her meek little way, her voice full of concern.

"Yes," Gunn said noting the concern in her voice then pushing it aside, "but I'm a big boy I can take care of myself."

Why can't you love me Gunn…I need you to love me, Fred thought sadly.

"Hey…where's Conner…I picked up something special for him…chocolate milk." Gunn said laughingly.

"Probably up in his room…sulking. Hey where's my latté?" Cordelia asked.

"Your latté is on my shirt…would you like it back?"

"No…not really…I'll just fix some tea instead. Why did you have to spill my coffee? Why couldn't you have spilt Wesley's?"

"I'm going to ignore that remark Cordelia," Wesley said as he sipped his coffee contently.

"Yeah…yeah whatever British guy."

"As much as I love these little morning spats…we need to move onto business. Anything interesting in the paper Gunn?" Angel asked.

"Yeah…seems as though someone lifted some sort of mystical mirror from the museum." Gunn said as he handed the paper to Wesley.

"The Mirror of Zyagahn," Wesley read, "Was stolen late last night from the Museum of Myths and Legends. Apparently the culprit came right through the back door without setting off a single alarm. Authorities confirm that the steel security door was completely torn off it's hinges then folded over twice. They believe that the culprit knew what he/or she were after. So far there are no suspects." 

"What kind of thing could do that too a steel door?" Fred asked.

"I'm guessing it's not human whatever it was." Wesley replied.

Angel walked out of the room and came back with a book in his hands.

"The Mirror of Zyagahn is said to be a mystical mirror that can watch anyone at any time. Also if used correctly it can see into a persons heart." Angel read.

"Ewww so someone could have been watching me this morning while I took my shower?" Cordelia said more to herself than to anyone else. When she saw the looks on everyone's faces she said "Oh right…bad person stole a mirror for evil purposes…please continue."

"I'm going to go to the crime scene tonight to check things out…right now I need you guys to research the mirror find out everything you can about it." Angel said and started to turn away.

"Wait man…you'll need backup tonight right? Just in case." Gunn asked. The past few weeks had been quiet and Gunn was getting edgy.

"No…I'll be covered."

"By who?"

"Well…I'm going to ask…Buffy to help."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

"Buffy…isn't she in Sunnydale…seems kinda…" Fred stopped talking when she saw the look on Angel's face. "Oh…she's not in Sunnydale…she's here…ok that makes sense."

"Yeah it makes a lot of sense…is this why you were beating down our beautiful place of business last night Angel?"

"That's none of your business Cordelia….but yes that's part of it."

"Look what goes on or what doesn't go on between me and Buffy is our business ok? I'm asking her to help me because right now she's who I want by my side. Besides I'm worried about her and asking her to help is a way of keeping an eye on her." After he finished he walked out of the room. Besides, he thought, after kissing her last night he would be brainless not to want her at his side. 


End file.
